3 new cases of deadly virus reported in NC

Another three cases of enterovirus D68 have been confirmed in North Carolina, bringing the total to nine since the uncommon respiratory virus was first reported last month, state health officials said Tuesday.

The state also reported a case of paralysis in a child with an enterovirus infection, though further testing is being conducted to determine whether it is D68, officials said. That child is from the eastern part of North Carolina.

All three newly confirmed cases are in children 10 and younger, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.

There have been seven cases of D68 in South Carolina, but no paralysis reported so far, according to the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.

Federal health officials recently issued an alert about paralysis in children diagnosed with D68 after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced it was investigating a cluster of children in Colorado who developed paralysis in their limbs — four had been diagnosed with the virus.

Between mid-August and Oct. 7, 628 people in 44 states and the District of Columbia have been confirmed to have D68, which has been causing respiratory infections severe enough to require hospitalization in children the country.

A 4-year-old New Jersey boy has been confirmed as the first fatality directly from D68, according to Reuters.

The infection often causes no symptoms or seems like a cold, but in some children, it can lead to difficulty breathing, pneumonia and other symptoms, health officials say. While children with asthma and other underlying health conditions are hardest hit, it also has been infecting healthy children.

It is spread through close contact with an infected person, or by touching contaminated objects or surfaces.

Of the seven South Carolina cases, two were confirmed in the Upstate, two each in the Pee Dee and the Midlands and one in the Lowcountry, according to DHEC.

Dr. Zack Moore, a pediatrician and epidemiologist with North Carolina's Division of Public Health, said that since the confirmed cases came from all over the state, precautions should be taken to prevent the spread of D68 and other viruses.

"There are no vaccines and no specific treatments for EV-D68," Moore said, "so prevention is the best option."

Health officials recommend that people wash their hands thoroughly and often with soap and water; avoid touching their eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands; avoid kissing, hugging and sharing cups or eating utensils with people who are sick; and frequently disinfecting touched surfaces, such as toys and doorknobs, especially if someone is sick.